John Huston explains his first impression of Marilyn Monroe: “She was going to be good”
Among the most accomplished directors who worked during Hollywood’s Golden Age, John Huston always had an exceptional understanding of the medium. That’s not only limited to his sixth sense for the cinematic image or his determination to navigate production challenges but also the ability that many great filmmakers have to sniff out acting talent.
Throughout his incredible career, Huston brought out stunning performances from his collaborators which often became the highlights of their careers. Ranging from Humphrey Bogart’s unsettlingly relentless pursuit of capital in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre or Jeff Bridges’ underrated, quiet portrayal of a young boxer in Fat City, Huston definitely knew what he was doing when it came to handling actors.
As someone who was in a prime position to witness the ascent of many acting legends, Huston also had a lot of great stories about the industry. One perfect example of this is his first meeting with pre-fame Marilyn Monroe, who appeared before him to audition for a minor role in Huston’s 1950 film noir gem, The Asphalt Jungle.
During an interview, the director revealed that he knew Monroe was destined for something great right away, even though he couldn’t have guessed how much success would come her way. To be fair to Huston, nobody could have, considering Monroe soon became a cultural symbol representing the USA in countries around the world.
Huston began: “I recognise it more or less. For instance, I had Marilyn Monroe in her first real film role [in The Asphalt Jungle] and I can’t claim to have had any notion of where she was headed, but I could feel that she was going to be good in this film and I chose her over a number of others. But still I didn’t dream of the places she would go.”
The filmmaker added: “In certain instances, it stands out all over the individual, just as it stands out in certain horses now and then. You look at an animal, and you know it is top class. It’s the same with certain persons—with an Ava Gardner, with a Humphrey Bogart, with a Katherine Hepburn. There’s no mistaking that quality when you see it any more than there is a chance of mistaking the looks of a great horse in the paddock. It’s hard to put in other words, and it varies from person to person.”
Of course, the analogy is a bit strange because Huston compares actors to animals, much like Alfred Hitchcock called his movie stars “cattle”. However, Monroe’s talent in the limited part she had in The Asphalt Jungle definitely demonstrates her talent with relative ease, paving the way for much bigger roles in the future.
